The document outlines the objectives and content of courses in the Master's degree program in Civil Engineering at the University of Pisa. The program includes courses in technical architecture, seismic structural design, economics of construction, geotechnics, hydraulic construction, thermal systems in buildings, computer-aided design, construction site safety, structural engineering, and a foreign language. Students must complete a thesis to graduate.

1. University of Pisa
Master's degree, Civil Engineering
-Technical Architecture and Building Typology
Objectives:
The teaching of “Technical Architecture and Building Typology” aims to integrate the knowledge
acquired in two teachings of Technical Architecture. Will be examined in the different contexts the
themes inherent the local climate, the visibility, the indoor lighting, the architectural acoustic, etc, in
order to the classes of needs introduced by UNI 8289:1981 rule: security, environmental wealth,
accessibility, aspect, management, compatibility at the various levels, environment safeguard. Later
will be defined, classified and analysed the building types and the distributive characters of a few
work categories to public use (collective spaces). Treaty subjects allow to put the students in
condition to be able to make analyses, checks, evaluation and building project validation by the
Value Analysis.
A compulsory-attendance (min. 80%) practical training course consisting in 40 hours is
contemplated.
-Technical Architecture II
Objectives:
The course aims to integrate the knowledge acquired in the teaching of Technical Architecture in
connection with the design in the various areas. In that perspective the course will be organised in
various stages pointed to highlight the complexity of the project and its necessary diversity in
relation to the different types of intervention and to different contexts. Will be examined the themes
inherent the relationship between architecture and technique through the comparative analysis of
different projects developed in different historical areas and in different cultures. The course will be
targeted to analyse the different components of building project and to assess the suitable solutions
appropriate to each individual case. In this context the relationship between architecture and
technique will be also linked to the typological reading and to the relationship between building and
context. During the course will be tackled the issues relating to design and construction of buildings
in relation to different contexts and to the various residential types, whether new buildings, whether
recovery of the existing ones. Will be critically analysed the traditional building procedures and the
high technological ones. The tutorials will be two: the first one will deal with the theme of the
relationship between architecture and technique trough the reading of some architectural works, and
the second will be directed to the project of building restoration from the urban scale until to the
constructive detail.
A compulsory-attendance (min. 80%) practical training course consisting in 40 hours is
contemplated.
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2. -Seismic Structural Design
Objectives:
The course would provide the students the basis knowledge for the analysis and design of structures
in seismic areas as foreseen by the most recent standards. More in details, the performance based
seismic design approach and its applications to steel, reinforced concrete and masonry structures are
carefully treated. Furthermore the basic knowledge on the seismic retrofitting and the repairing
techniques of existing structures to be applied in case of damages due to earthquake events are
explained.
-Drawing Architecture II
-Economics of Construction and Evalutation Principles
Objectives:
Ability to apply a core of economic principles and reasoning to a variety of applied topics.
Awareness of economic principles that can be used to design guide and interpret commercial,
economic and social policy.
Understand and evaluate economic issues concerning the construction sector and the construction
firm at both a micro and macro level.
Understand the time value of money and its application to capitalisation and apply discounted cash
flow techniques in the evaluation of alternative property investments.
Appraise and evaluate land and buildings and value property for various purposes using a number
of methods and produce valuation reports.
-Geotechnics
Objectives:
The subject is aimed at giving basic concepts of soil mechanics and geotechnical characterization of
soil deposits by means of in situ and laboratory testing, in order to model soil behaviour and to
solve typical geotechnical problems like: bearing capacity and settlements of shallow foundations
and soil thrust on retaining structures.
-Hydraulic and Hydraulic Construction
Objectives:
The contents of the course are concentrated on the types of problem commonly encountered by
engineers in the field of hydraulic and hydraulic construction.
In the first part on basic theory of Hydraulic, principles of fluid mechanics, the laws of conservation
of energy and momentum, the flow resistance, and the equations which govern the flow in open
channels are introduced. Discussions of flow through bridge contractions, and the control of
hydraulic jump, are included.
In the second part on Hydraulic Construction, probabilistic treatment of hydrologic data such as
precipitation and discharge is given.
Erodible channels, with specific problems, reservoir and lamination tank are considered. Finally, the
design of aqueducts and sewer systems are treated.
A compulsory-attendance (min. 80%) practical training course consisting in 40 hours is
contemplated.
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3. -Lighting and applied acoustic
-Thermal Systems in Buildings
Objectives:
The aim of the course is to provide the students with elements on the following matters: heating and
air conditioning systems in buildings, mechanical ventilation and indoor air quality, solar systems in
buildings (i.e. thermal solar collectors, photovoltaics cells), low enthalpy sources (i.e. geothermal
systems, …), energy performance of buildings and technical standards, outline of thermal systems
safety and others (i.e. gas supply, electrical and fire-protection systems).
A compulsory-attendance (min. 80%) practical training course consisting in 40 hours is
contemplated.
-Computer Aided Laboratory for Building Design and Town Planning
Objectives:
The aim of the course is to provide further computer ability using applications oriented at the
building design and town planning with regard to the requirements of environmental and functional
needs and economical-management aspects.
Projects are developed during laboratory sessions using the supplied softwares.
A compulsory-attendance (min. 80%) practical training course consisting in 30 hours is
contemplated.
-Technical and safety of building yard
Objectives:
The course examines all aspects of safety of the temporary and mobile building yard. It is proposed
to deepen the knowledge of the techniques and methods for the design and the achievement of
security in every phase of the building process. In particular, the course (compulsory attendance to
80%) is useful to achieve the status of the Coordinator for Planning and Co-ordinator for the
execution of work with reference to the Legislative Decree n. 81, 9 April 2008 (Article 98 -
Professional requirements and Annex XIV - Contents of the course minimum).
-Building yard organization
-Urban Sociology
-Structural Engineering II
Objectives:
The course deepens the problems and the aims of the structures desing; they come supplied
complementary knowledge of theory and technique of structural engineering and of static behaviour
of the most common structural elements. In the practices the plan of concrete or steel skeleton of a
multisotrey building is carried out.
-Technical and safety of building yard
Objectives:
The course examines all aspects of safety of the temporary and mobile building yard. It is proposed
to deepen the knowledge of the techniques and methods for the design and the achievement of
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4. security in every phase of the building process. In particular, the course (compulsory attendance to
80%) is useful to achieve the status of the Coordinator for Planning and Co-ordinator for the
execution of work with reference to the Legislative Decree n. 81, 9 April 2008 (Article 98 -
Professional requirements and Annex XIV - Contents of the course minimum).
-Added Foreign Language
The subject aims at giving the knowledge of French, German or Spanish language at level B1 or
English language at level B2 as defined by CLI (Centre for the foreign languages of the University
of Pisa).
-Thesis
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